


A Former Master & A Future Ahead

by crazyinfj



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Her friends are here to tell her that :), Luminara Unduli Needs A Hug, Luminara Unduli deserves the world, Not Canon Compliant, Physical Abuse, Pong Krell Being an Asshole, Pre-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Shaak Ti & Plo Koon are the best, that’s the only part of this that’s canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:34:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29933496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyinfj/pseuds/crazyinfj
Summary: Sometimes Luminara wonders how much she can take from her master, Jedi Pong Krell before he breaks her.She didn’t expect for her question to be answered, but when it is, she must decide for herself how her future will play out, while battling the traumas left behind.
Relationships: Bant Eerin & Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luminara Unduli & Quinlan Vos, Luminara Unduli & Plo Koon, Luminara Unduli & Pong Krell, Plo Koon & Shaak Ti, Shaak Ti & Luminara Unduli
Comments: 14
Kudos: 14





	1. A Former Master

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Tries to write fluff: _*stares at a blank page*_
> 
> Me: I will **not** write angst _*stares at her 12k hurt comfort…*_
> 
> As a TW: Krell, the asshole, hurts Luminara physically twice by inflicting lightsaber wounds. It is also heavily implied that he caused some heavy emotional/physiological trauma. I understand if this fic is not for you, and I sincerely hope you’re able to find safer fics for your own mental health state. ❤️

Sometimes Luminara felt extreme jealousy of her fellow padawans. She constantly fought it, she knew it was unjedi-like, but when she saw Kenobi’s master holding a hand out when he fell in sparring, or Thome congratulating Vos after a skillful maneuver, she couldn’t help but wish that her master, Jedi Pong Krell, would do that even once.

But Jedi don’t get what they want and Luminara knows this, so when her master looms over her, she kicks herself for indulging in non-battle thoughts, leaving herself open to attack. 

“Stand up padawan, the enemy will not be so generous.” 

She can feel the eyes of the fellow master padawan pairs eying them as they’re about to leave. She will not let them see her as weak, even if her master is bigger, stronger, and seemingly invisible with his double dual sabers. Grabbing onto the force, she gets back on her feet, only for Master Krell to swing his sabers anticipatorily. 

“Lets try again, shall we?” 

“Of course Master.” 

He lets her make the first move, blocking her saber with the side of one of his blades, and then pushes her backwards. Momentarily losing her stepping, Luminara closed her eyes and called to the force once more. While her master relied more on the physical than most Jedi, 

Luminara was deeply connected to the force, a skill of her species, and this was her only hope in times when Master Krell seemed to only wanted to make her feel inferior. 

Spinning around, she held his hand midair with the force before he could slash her unprotected back. With him caught off guard, she slid under him before he could spin his sabers, and was now in the middle. Breathing heavily, she spun her saber with precision, egging him on. 

Two could play this game. 

She only has one blade compared to his four, but she’s agile, something he lacks, and her “puny frame,” is perfect for leaps and bounds, energy she harnesses from force. The first time she fought him, their very first spar as master and padawan, she was convinced that she was going to die here, in the temple, the first padawan to be killed by their master. No longer does she think about this while she fights, a year later. She knows Master Krell doesn’t provide time for those thoughts, and for that she’s thankful. Now she knows that if she does die in sparring, her master will be courteous enough to not allow her time to realize it. 

The back and forth is uneven, with her master giving the blows, and her defending herself. His sheer power has caused her to lean heavily on soresu, and that’s why, out of all the padawans, she is the most skilled in it. Of course, most of them, other than Obi-Wan Kenobi, have not heavily practiced, with no current need to, so there is not much competition. 

As almost always, the fight is ending with Master Krell delivering blows that have the padawan gasping for breath. Quinlan Vos told her once that she should never question her life in sparring, but he just didn’t understand how Master Krell worked. 

However, when one of his blades spun close enough to chop off her wrist, Luminara wanted to question her master. Blocking the blade, she’s not fast enough to block his other saber, and the saber burns into her shoulder, as she staggers back. 

_Her master had dug his saber into her shoulder._

“If you block a move, make sure the rest of you is blocked as well.” Master Krell then deactivated his sabers and looked over Luminara, as if assessing her again. It still made her feel like the little girl in the council room, being inspected by him for padawanship as if she were a piece of meat. 

“Go to the healers, get some bacta. Soon, your body will adjust to the wound.” 

No one, even Jedi, got “adjusted” to wounds, but her master treated each one as if to teach Luminara “immunity” and she only sighed and belted her saber. 

“Thank you Master Krell.” 

“Dismissed Padawan.” 

\-- 

“Luminara!” Bant Eerin yelled, running up to her friend. “I grabbed food for you! Master Koon says he’s going to take us stargazing! He says it will help us to know the stars, in case we’re lost.” 

“We all know he just wants to get out of paperwork.” Quinlan grins, and Luminara manages to smile, but it fades into a shriek as Bant pulls her shoulder, to lead her to Plo Koon’s quarters. 

“Luminara?” Obi-Wan, the mom friend, is immediately beside her, looking worriedly at her. “Did you hurt your shoulder?” 

“It’s minor, just need a patch and I should be fine.” 

“Minor?” Quinlan is eyeing her, and Obi Wan gently tears her robes, because they all know that she’s terrible at judging pain. 

“That’s not minor and that’s _not_ accidental.” Obi-Wan is giving her a look, and she sighed. 

“Master Krell made a maneuver he thought I would be able to block. I didn’t, not in time.” 

“That’s nearly two inches deep Lumi!” 

“It will heal.” 

“If this had been an inch different, Luminara,” Obi-Wan’s brows are worried, and it’s a feat that his face can even scrunch up that way. “You could’ve been without arm mobility for at least a week.” 

“Master Krell knows what he’s doing.” 

“That’s what we’re afraid of.” Quinlan says, and Luminara sighs. They had never liked her master, and she could not convince them otherwise. Instead, she pushed through her friends and made her way to the healers. They followed, and instead of dwelling on it, they spent the rest of the night giggling about the Jedi gossip while they stared at the expansive galaxy on the top of a borrowed ship. 

It makes Luminara feel calm, she feels protected by her friends that cared about her well being, and she can’t help but wish, on the top of the ship, that she could stay and never touch down again. 

\-- 

Today Master Krell is not at the temple, so she’s sparring with Master Tholme, Master Jinn, and Master Uvain with her fellow padawans. She’s waiting patiently for her turn as she watches Tholme and Bant spar, she can’t help but pick apart the fighting style. Instead of letting her attack, he’s making the movements and seeing how she reacts, and from there, he’s giving her tips on how to protect her left flank. 

Next to them, Master Uvain and Master Jinn are sparring two on two, fighting Obi-Wan and Quinlan Vos. She notes that Quinlan is much like her master, favoring power, but he uses the force to his advantage, while Obi-Wan executes something between shii-cho and soresu, giving him the mobility of the first form, and the protection of the third. 

Luminara realizes that she should practice her forms, as she had barely varied from form three, her master always on the offensive had never given her the chance to practice anything other than defensive, and while most duels dealt heavily in the defensive, she should know some offensive as well. 

“Master Ti,” Master Jinn nods towards the door, where Shaak Ti is smiling. 

“I heard that the padawans have outnumbered the Masters, and I must amend that miscalculation.” 

“It is no problem Shaak, Luminara has been warming up,” Qui Gon Jinn must look her way, but Luminara is focused on her attempts at remembering form one, but it's been quite some time. 

“Well, I am not needed for anything else, so I will take Padawan Unduli for some time.” Shaak Ti smiles at the two masters, “Meanwhile, you can attempt to beat your padawans.” 

“We’re letting them win.” 

“Of course you are. What respectful masters.” 

\-- 

Luminara is secretly ecstatic to spar with Master Ti, but hides it with respect to her own master as Shaak smiles softly. 

She’s already ready and in position when Shaak Ti steps onto the mats, but Shaak Ti makes no move towards her saber. 

“So Luminara, before we begin, I’d like to discuss what you want to get out of today’s lesson.” 

In confusion, Luminara lowers her saber but doesn’t deactivate it, in case this is all a trap to test how quick her reflexes are. 

“Excuse me? I’m not sure I understand master.” 

“Today, what is your goal? Would you like to learn how to maximize your power, how to reach towards the force in the heat of battle, or simply be given tips throughout the lesson?” 

Luminara hadn’t been given tips since her days before her padawanship, when the crèche masters had walked around the children and instructed them on proper holding of their sabers, and the intricacies of form one. Master Krell didn’t think much of tips, rather he pointed out what she was doing wrong, what part she had missed, and expected her to make up for it in the time following. 

Surely Master Ti didn’t think that she still needed help in such an elementary lesson. 

“I am better in form three than any other, but I am still versed in form one.” Maybe it comes out a little defensive, but Shaak Ti doesn’t correct her on it. If Master Krell had been here, he would’ve made her regret saying such an insubordinate statement. 

“I am skilled in form two as you might know. I have noticed that with such a powerful master as yours, you lean heavily on form three. However, I would like to see you on the offensive rather than the defensive.” Shaak Ti seems to allude to both the saber forms and her attitude, “So I will defend myself, and I would like you to attack.” 

“Of course Master.” 

“Luminara?” Shaak Ti has her saber out now, but her eyes hold no sign of feriosity, “This is a practice session, mistakes will be made.” 

\-- 

That had been an understatement. Until she had swapped positions, Luminara did not realize how rusty she had been in matters of the offensive. A year of padawanship and she’s sloppily making mistakes that only a youngling would make, and if she were still a youngling, she probably would’ve succumbed to tears. 

“In offensive, you are not meeting my blade, you are making the first move, and it is my job to meet the blade, to protect my own body.” 

“Luminara, you’re holding back, it’s okay, I’ve done this quite a lot.” 

“Why are you hesitating?” 

At that question, Luminara lowered her arms and sighed. Why couldn’t she just execute what Master Ti wanted her to do? What was wrong with her? Why hadn’t she been prepared? 

“Come padawan,” Shaak Ti took the lightsaber from Luminara and lowered her hands. “Let us sit.” 

“I’m sorry Master Ti-” 

“I am not angry, nor am I disappointed with you. What you are feeling is not the same as what I am.” 

“Master?” 

Shaak Ti didn’t respond for a few moments, and then nodded decisively at nothing in particular. “I would like to propose something to your master, if you agree. While I agree that he has taught you much, you would benefit greatly from the practice of offensive as well. If it is alright, I would like to arrange weekly spars to ensure that you are skilled in both. It may be me, or another master, or even Krell, if he wishes, but I feel it would be beneficial to your skill set.” 

“If you think that would make me a better Jedi.” 

“I do believe it would improve your lightsaber abilities,” Shaak Ti doesn’t allude to the rest of Luminara’s abilities. “However, I sense a turbulence in you, something that concerns me.” 

Luminara stays quiet and waits for the questions, the interrogation, but it never comes. Instead, Master Shaak Ti is unusually quiet when she leaves. 

\-- 

She has another sparring session with Master Fisto before her own master gets back to the temple. Kit Fisto, who predominantly uses Shii-Cho despite it being “rudimentary,” helps her considerably, and being the most joyful Jedi around, he even makes her laugh a few times. 

Right now, she’s not laughing. Rather, her lip is bleeding and it hurts too much to even curl her lip, much less smile or laugh. 

Master Krell doesn’t seem to care. He’s only been back for a day, and usually masters take the day off, to catch up on paperwork and to rest. Not him though. He came back, submitted files which Luminara knows will undermine the number of deaths, and asked his padawan to spar, claiming it would, “ease the tension.” 

She should’ve known better than to agree. However, if there’s one thing he’s taught her, it’s submission, and she’s not one for anger, but she wants to change, this time she wants to have the upper hand. Use shii-cho and make him feel an ounce of what she has felt. 

The dark side calls to her and she does not answer. She doesn't know how the dark side came into the room, but she denies it. Instead, she brings up the topic diplomatically. 

“I have gone back to practicing shii-cho with Masters Ti and Fisto.” 

“Form one is for younglings. My padawan should be beyond form one.” Master Krell doesn’t slow down, but Luminara doesn’t either. 

“True, but Master Fisto barely ever uses anything different, and he is on the high council.” 

“Master Fisto has been here many years, and earning your way onto the council has never been about forms. What good would shii-cho serve you?” He says it like a sneer, and Luminara feels her defenses rising, just like her saber to his blade. 

“I am learning offensive, rather than simply defensive.” 

“Padawan, while I am with you, I will be the physical, you’re much too fragile for offensive.” 

“What if you’re not with me?” Luminara challenges, and Master Krell laughs, something dangerous lurking between his eyes. 

“Fine then padawan. Prove to me, little padawan Unduli, that you can face an opponent my size.” 

It’s a stupid plan, Luminara knows, but she wants to show him that she can be better, that’s she stronger than he thinks. Besides, she knows that he is formidable at defense, but less than perfect. So raising her saber, she begins her attack. 

His four blades are spinning at insane speeds, helped by his four arms, and Luminara only has the force to help her. Essentially, he’s creating a shield from the blades, but she waits, she’s patient, and when her moment comes, she springs into action. 

He’s already responded before she can do any lasting damage, but in her quick movement, she was able to slash his body armor. Not enough to sear the skin, and certainly not enough to compare to what he did to her shoulder, but it’s enough that he’s taken a step back, to stare at her. 

The next moment, he’s charging at her, four blades whizzing and she barely has time to lift her saber before he’s charging at her. 

“You will know your place padawan.” 

Slamming her into the nearest wall via force knocks the air out of Luminara, and she’s amazed she still has hold of her lightsaber. It’s necessary however, when she sees that her master’s tall figure is approaching her. 

“Come padawan, show your master who’s in charge. Question my leadership.” 

“Master-“ 

“You wanted to show me? Show me padawan. Show me you can defeat me. Don’t hold back.” 

She doesn’t want to. She wants to go back to her dormitory and rest, but Master Krell has never let her give in. 

The moment she stands up, her master is on the offensive and he has the intent to show her where she belongs. It’s only a year of being his padawan that protects her from near fatal injuries. 

Their sabers clashing and the heaving of breath on Luminara’s part are the only sounds in the room for what must be quite some time. 

Then she makes a grave mistake. Spinning around, only for a moment, Luminara leaves her back open, and she cries out in horror as her master’s blade goes up her back, deep enough to pierce the skin, not deep enough to kill her. 

_He knows exactly what he’s doing._

Suddenly, the blade stops at her neck, and Luminara’s glad she wears dark, modest clothing, because it hides what she is sure is a long burn like on her back. Not as if her master would change his mind if he saw her exposed back. It just means she’ll be able to hide the injury better. 

“You’ve got a long way to go if you want to be on the offensive Luminara.” 

— 

Luminara does not cry. She does not let herself feel pity. She stays in the middle of the mat, curled into a ball, her back exposed for a full five minutes before she grabs her saber and forces herself to stand up, to the anger of her back, and the crying out of her hip, which had slammed into the wall. Limping, she makes it to the door. 

Not bothering to check if the coast is clear, Luminara moves as fast as her body will let her back to her quarters. 

Putting bacta patches on her back is harder than it looks, and by the time she’s finished, she either wants to cry or to sleep. 

She finally succumbs to the first option. 

— 

That’s how she was found, passed out on her mat, back still exposed, passed out from exhaustion and her own tears. 

“Lumi?” 

“Huh?” 

It only takes a moment for her to reach for her saber, thinking it’s a last minute mission, but instead she winces in pain, and Bant Eerin is standing over her with a very judgmental look. 

“He did this, didn’t he?” 

“Bant-“ It’s too early for this, Luminara needs about five more hours of sleep, and she does not need this right now, she really just needs a replacement bacta patch and a place to hide. 

“Are you alright in there?” Obi-Wan asks through the door, and Luminara suddenly realizes that Bant is the only one in here because she’s entirely uncovered. 

“Here, this might hurt a bit.” Bant grabs her robes, already sliced partially, and rips it in half, wrapping them vertically around the torso of her friend’s back, avoiding the burn that traces dangerously around the mirialan’s spinal cord. 

“Come in guys.” 

“Something is wrong I can-“ Quinlan stops in the middle of his sentence as he enters the room, looking at his friend’s back. “Krell did that, didn’t he?” 

Luminara’s silence must be telling. At least Obi-Wan, who must sense her turmoil, is comforting. “This is not how a master should be treating his padawan. You know this Lumi.” 

Luminara tries to straighten her back, to make herself look more confident than she really is. “Master Krell-“ 

“You’re afraid of him. You practically flinch every time he touches you.” Quinlan is softer now, but she wants to argue with them, and she’s not entirely sure why. 

“This is not a reflection of you Luminara, it never has been.” 

— 

They are adamant that she will not exert herself more than necessary, aghast that she didn’t even go to the healers, so somehow, she finds herself in the arms of Quinlan, who’s carrying her to the Jedi Council. 

Usually the Jedi Council is quiet, but as they round the corner, the padawans can hear shouts from the room, and they can only look at each other in confusion. 

Madame Nu is at the door, apparently just about to leave. “Padawans, I’m afraid this is not a good time. The council is in session right now.” 

“It’s an emergency Madame Nu.” Bant implores, and Madame Nu looks concerned. 

“Have you told your Master?” 

“This is bigger than my master.” 

“Let me speak with them. Stay here.” Madame Nu must realize that it’s strange that Quinlan is carrying a fellow padawan, and that a Mirialan, known for their modesty, has a half exposed back. 

After a few minutes and a yell that sounded a lot like Mace, Madame Nu exited, motioning for them to walk in. 

— 

“Padawans.” Yoda nods, and then frowns when Quinlan walks in behind Bant. 

“Masters.” They’ve all decided that Obi-Wan, the most diplomatic, would speak. Quinlan knew that he didn’t have a way with words, and Bant wanted to punch someone “with a chicken chin”, she did not feel she’d be able to be diplomatic at this very moment. 

Master Krell is already in the room, in the center of the seats, and it seems they have interrupted something. As soon as Pong Krell must realize, he’s spewing nonsense. 

“Why are we letting Padawans interrupt?” 

“Master Krell, I thought you were okay with this.” Mace Windu’s voice is cold, and clearly he’s done with Master Krell. 

“Masters, I ask that we bring a case of Master and Padawan relational misconduct.” 

“Are you and Master Jinn having issues?” 

“No Master Jinn has been a phenomenal master. However, this misconduct is being leveled against Master Krell.” 

Muttering under his breath, Krell’s only response was,“This is ridiculous.” 

“Is it Master?” Obi-Wan addresses the master, but doesn’t look at him, and instead maintains eye contact with the council members. 

“Quinlan, bring Luminara here.” 

Despite her trying to wriggle out of Quinlan’s grip, she is brought into the center, and Quinlan sets her down, holding her steady, so one, she doesn’t hurt her back, and two, so she can’t run away. 

“If you’ll take a moment to look at Luminara’s back, you’ll see that she has obtained a vertical searing from what can only be a lightsaber wound. Previously, only three weeks prior, Padawan Unduli suffered a shoulder injury sustained from a lightsaber going through her shoulder.” 

“Within these three weeks, Luminara has not been sent on any missions, as can be seen by her impeccable attendance records. Her sparring sessions with both Master Ti and Master Fisto were both in the presence of witnesses, and that means that these injuries are only from one source - her sparring sessions with her own master.” 

From his position, Master Krell only scoffed, “Padawan Unduli can be very... _disobedient_ at times, how do we know how she has sustained these in a sparring session? Or even within the temple?” 

__

__

“Padawan Unduli,” Luminara is addressed by Mace, who looks displeased by the entire situation. “How were these wounds sustained?” 

“Sir-“ 

“Have something to say Padawan Vos? Change the answer will this?” 

“Lumi-Padawan Unduli, would never speak ill of her master. I fear that she will not speak up for herself now.” 

“Here she is provided a chance to plead her case, and how she handles this is only up to her.” Master Plo Koon is watching them with keen interest. “If the accusations are true however, and she denies them, she will be allowing these actions to continue, perhaps to another padawan.” 

“Masters, these wounds were the fault of my own foolish actions. True, they were earned during sparring with Master Krell-’' Luminara glanced at her master, who was only a few steps from raging ire. This time, she knew she wouldn’t be able to protect herself. “He thought I was going to block his attack, but I didn’t, as I was not as focused as I should’ve been.” 

“It is a master’s duty to know their padawan and their skills, mindsets, and turmoils, as to protect them from repeating their missteps, and to protect from the dark side.” Mace is eyeing Master Pong Krell as if that alone is enough to set the alien on fire. 

“Luminara wouldn't be strong enough to join the dark side, there was no danger.” 

“So you do not deny that your actions could’ve caused your padawan to be pulled into the dark side?” Master Fisto asked, and Luminara could see the moment that Master Krell had realized he had backed himself into a corner. 

“I told you not to give me a padawan.” 

“Rest assured, you are relieved of a padawan this very moment, but you are also relieved of your rank as Jedi. You have dishonored the code, and revealed a corrupt path, one of a dark Jedi.” 

“Masters-” Luminara, despite having no reason to, felt the need to defend her master. “Has Master Krell not made great advancements since he became a knight? He is not the perfect master-” Luminara held her shoulder subconsciously, but continued, “but I led him on.” 

“Please clarify Padawan.” Master Tiin encouraged, and Luminara sucked in a breath. She knew that her actions did not reflect that of a padawan, and that her own status as a future jedi could be in jeopardy. Still, in her last moments, she should follow the ways of the Jedi, with honesty. 

“Master Krell came back from his mission with the intent of sparring with me, and I told him of my practice with Masters Ti and Fisto on form one, with the pursuit of offensive knowledge. I was told that as long as I was with Master Krell, I would be more useful as a defense, but I wanted more than I was given, and I challenged his judgement.” 

“What exactly was his judgement?” 

“He believed that I, the smaller of us two, should be the shield, while he makes the offensive, as he has more physical power than I possess.” 

“That’s stupid-” Bant was silenced by Obi-Wan, and the council was quiet, as if this admission changed their minds. 

“What was your Master’s plan if you two were separated?” Master Koon asked thoughtfully a few moments later. 

“She-” Master Krell began, but was silenced by the hand of Yoda. 

“Asked you were not.” 

Luminara was quiet. She had leveled her master with this same question, but the truth was that if she was separated from him, she would manage in form three, but she would not be able to get the upper hand if needed. Possibly, she could fail the mission if she was separated from him. “I suppose he trusted that I would suffice with form three, and he would complete the offensive.” 

“And if you were on a solo mission?” 

“I would fail, as offensively, I lack the strength and knowledge to gain the upper hand needed.” 

“You have potential, you simply need a master who will see this, and not hinder it with personal injuries and a lack of relational balance.” Master Kit Fisto is staring at her, “If I did not have such demanding duties, I would personally take you on. Padawan Unduli, any right thinking Jedi would be honored to have you as their padawan.” 

“Padawans, please take Luminara to the healers, and make sure she gets a full examination.” Master Tiin is giving Luminara a knowing look, “I suspect, from a lack of reports, Luminara did not feel safe in going last night. We must, as a council, discuss this turn of events.” 

“We will do as you say, thank you for seeing us council.” Obi-Wan tilted his head towards the members before Quinlan picked up Luminara again, earning a yelp from the mirialan. 

“Thank you Padawans, for bringing this to our attention, you have honored both your code and your masters.” 

\-- 

“Guys,” Luminara struggled to express to her friends how much their support had meant to her that morning, and every moment before, when they had cared for her throughout her lying, the obnoxious excuses she had given to all her personal injuries. “I, just-” 

“You’re welcome,” Bant grins, and she reaches for a hug awkwardly, trying to avoid hurting Luminara’s back. 

“I didn’t realize...I thought…” 

“It’s not your fault,” Quinlan plops himself on the medical bed, just barely avoiding sitting on Luminara’s feet. “You shouldn’t have been put in that situation.” 

“Luminara, what you did was necessary for yourself as much as it was for the Jedi as a whole, and we’re proud of you.” Obi-Wan reassures, and Luminara wants to cry all over again, but instead she smiles at her friends. 

They’re quiet for a time, and it’s not uncomfortable, but then Luminara straightens her back, she has to admit it hurts less with the bacta lotion they gave her. “Guys, your masters must be looking for you!” 

“Master Tholme is used to me missing meditation.” Quinlan laughs easily, and then sobers slightly, “Besides, the news is probably buzzing already, I’m sure they could guess that we’re with you.” 

“I hope you guys don’t get in trouble for missing classes.” 

“I mean, we were ordered by the council to take you to the healers...they never specified that we were supposed to return to our studies.” Bant grins elfishly, and Luminara shakes her head, her friends are something else. 

Feeling the overwhelming comfort of her friends, Luminara wants to start a new habit of being vulnerable with them, and stop hiding from them. Gathering all the courage she has, which is not much, she voices something that’s been haunting her since the meeting. 

“What do you think is going to happen to me?” 

“You’ll get chosen by a master, one much better than Krell.” Quinlan says with all the confidence in the world. 

“That’s the lowest baseline ever.” Bant deadpans, and then hurries on. “I wonder who you will get. Maybe it will end in a duel, like Obi-Wan’s.” 

“You were not subordinate, if that’s what you believe.” Obi-Wan says, ignoring Bant listing off all the Jedi Knights without padawans. “Master Krell sees any challenge as rebellion, rather than the growth of a person. You will have many asking to be your master.” 

“Let’s stop calling him master, he’s no longer a jedi, he doesn't deserve that title anymore.” 

“I’m-I’m not sure I want another master.” 

The sudden silence is deafening. Quinlan’s mouth is half open, Bant’s eyes comically large, and Obi-Wan is regarding her thoughtfully. 

“Not every master is like Krell.” Bant finally whispers, and Luminara shakes her head. 

“I’m not sure if I will ever be able to trust a master again.” 

\-- 

“Padawan Unduli, how are you feeling?” 

Luminara had been called back to the council, and in front of all these Jedi Masters it was intimidating, but not so much as it was when Master Krell was present. 

“The healers think that I should make a full recovery, thank you for asking Master Tiin.” 

“We have called you back for two reasons.” Mace begins, and his voice is quiet, much quieter and more open than it was before. Luminara is thankful, right now Jedi Masters seem much too intimidating for her. 

“First to tell you that your former master, Pong Krell, has been banned from the Order.” 

Instead of feeling joy, Luminara could only nod. It made her shoulders relax slightly, but she knew that him simply being gone would not heal the wounds. Nor would it solve her disobedience and lack of a master. 

“We realize that you are now without a master. In this unique situation, we have two proposals. The first proposal is that you will take the time to heal, and then by the end of the month, when you have been exposed to several available masters, you choose one. If you already have another available master in mind, you could inquire if they would take you as a padawan. The other option is that you chose from the Jedi who have already volunteered themselves as masters. This list includes Masters Tiin, Koon, Knights Gallia, Ima Gun-Di, and Kolar.” 

All these revered Jedi and they wanted _her?_ She must’ve shown the shock on her face, because Master Fisto is smiling. 

“I told you padawan, there are many here who see your potential, and all of these we trust to support you as you continue your journey as a padawan.” 

“I-I-Masters.” Nodding, Luminara clears her throat. “I’m honored that so many have volunteered to take me as their padawan, however, I am not sure I can take another master. A padawan master relationship is based on trust, and I am not sure I truly understand that concept. I don’t want to.. I don’t want to leave, but I cannot fulfill the duty of a padawan.” 

“Padawan Unduli, you are a promising student. We ask you not to make a rash decision and instead, stay and let yourself get acquainted with these Jedi. If you still feel this way after a time, we will allow you to leave the order, if that is what you want.” 

“Thank you masters, I will take your first offer and reach out to these Jedi, and make a decision by the end of the month.” 

“Luminara,” Master Plo Koon’s voice is soothing, and he seems to understand her. “You are not the reflection of your former master, we hope that soon you can see this as well. We have high hopes for you Padawan.” 

“Thank you Master Koon.” 

\-- 

Per her promise to the council, she seeks out the companionship of all the Jedi that Master Windu listed, and then some. She has a week left, and she has narrowed down her options to Master Koon, Gallia, or Di. 

All of them have been a stark contrast to her past master. They have instructed her each differently, but she found herself getting better with each quiet tip and explanation. 

Master Plo Koon practiced heavily in form five, and while she wasn’t interested in djem so, he was also proficient in form three, and offered to teach her the offensive parts of both shii-cho and some simple steps in djem so. With him, she was most comfortable, as she had known him since her days as a youngling, and he had taken great measures to know each of them, their silly little wishes, their favorite stars, and spent many days in the crèche with them. 

Master Adi Gallia surprised Luminara, as she was secretly more ferocious than Luminara imagined, but Gallia, despite her stern behavior, was a considerate teacher who always had a tip for her. She was wise and intuitive, and Luminara felt a sense of awe every time she fought with her. 

Master Ima Gun-Di was someone Luminara had never even thought of, but even he had new things to teach her. Like Master Koon, he practiced form five, but shi-en rather than djem so, but both were similar in that they taught Luminara the necessity of nimbleness and the art of aggression, as long as it is used in a controlled manner. These simple maneuvers taught her that quickness was not just an ability, but if used correctly, could be the turning point of a fight. He was a kind man and his lightsaber techniques directly contrasted the rest of his personality. 

“Luminara,” Shaak Ti greets, entering the mediation room, and Luminara blinks in surprise. Master Ti wasn’t supposed to be back so early. 

“Hello Master Ti, would you like this room?” 

“No, stay here padawan. I find meditating alone quite boring.” 

“I’m afraid I’ll just be a distraction.” 

“Luminara, I am asking you to stay.” 

“Of course Master Ti.” 

Luminara didn’t know how much time must’ve elapsed, but as she sat there with Master Ti, not a word was said between them but she finally understood why Shaak Ti was always the one sought out for comfort. Being in the presence of such a balanced, calm Jedi like the togruta made herself feel the same way. 

All too soon, Shaak Ti stood up and extended a hand to Luminara. 

“Have you eaten yet padawan?” 

“No, I have not.” Luminara answered, hoping that a reprimand would not follow. While the cafeteria was always open, the padawans were expected to follow courteous times to ease the job of the workers. 

“Let us grab some food together.” 

— 

“Luminara. I sensed your turmoil today, regarding your indecision on masters and your place as a Jedi.” 

“Yes, I have been...struggling.” 

“Many padawans, even ones not in your situation, have questioned their place. Rest assured Luminara, you have a place here.” 

“Thank you Master Ti, I think I needed to hear that.” 

“You also need to hear this, Luminara. Those who have offered to be your master, those are good Jedi, all of whom we can recommend. I’m afraid to say that was not the case with former Jedi Krell, but you will not have a repeat of history.” 

“I’m just-I’m afraid.” Luminara whispered, barely able to hear herself in the lunchroom. It was only advanced hearing from her species that aided Shaak Ti in hearing the whisper. 

“You have a right to be. Have you narrowed down your choices?” 

“Masters Koon, Gallia, or Di.” 

“All very good options, they are all respected and considerate Jedi.” 

“I’m leaning towards Master Koon, but I’m not sure.” 

“What is holding you back?” 

“I’ve never….” It’s embarrassing to admit, to say the words out loud. To speak into existence all that she had failed as a padawan. “...had a padawan bond with a master.” 

Shaak Ti pauses mid-bite, and sets her fork down gingerly. “That explains a lot of your turmoil. A bond will be new, and it will be overwhelming, just as a new bond with your fellow padawans is. However, a bond spans unspeakable trust and is beautiful, and I hope you let yourself experience that.” 

Luminara hoped for the first time in a while, she would be able to experience that too. 

— 

She has the intent of approaching Master Plo Koon when instead, he approaches her, Master Kit Fisto only a step behind. They’re grinning about something. Or well, Master Fisto is grinning, and Luminara can only assume that Master Koon shares the sentiment. 

“Masters,” Luminara greets, as they fall in step with her. 

“Padawan Unduli, a new development has occurred.” 

“What is that Master?” 

“I have been assigned a mission and will be gone in the period when you are supposed to choose masters. If this changes anything, I would like you to know beforehand, this is not my abandonment of a master’s responsibility, but rather commitment to my job. If you choose me, you will be sent along at a later date, if you do not, I wish you all the best with your new master.” 

“Thank you Master Koon, I-“ 

Before she could finish, Plo Koon raised his hand, and looked apologetic. “I must tell you one other thing that may greatly impact your decision. Master Shaak Ti has also offered to take you on.” 

“What?” Luminara sucked in her breath. Her choice might have just changed drastically. 

“She is late to the party, however, I have noticed that you two are quite close.” 

“Master Koon,” Luminara doesn’t know what to do with this new option, but she is learning to be bolder, learning to speak up when she needs something. That is her personal goal, not her physical one, that Master Koon and her had set. “Would you have time to walk with me?” 

“Certainly. I do not have to leave for another rotation.” 

— 

“You are conflicted young one. Has Master Ti joining the options changed your choice?” 

“I’m afraid it has confused me.” Luminara admitted to Master Koon. “I was intent on asking my choice master for their acceptance when this...development came. I’m not sure what to do now, I feel as if the Force is mocking me.” 

“I assure you Luminara, the Force is not mocking you. You do pose an interesting position, and if you were to take on Shaak Ti as your master, you would be away from the temple more than what is healthy for a pupil.” 

“Sir, I daresay that all my options are away more than what is good for my schooling, and fieldwork is necessary, and I would, at some point, like to join them.” 

“You must join them often, as it will teach you things sparring cannot. However, being active in unpeaceful situations, as they tend to end up being, might not be the healthiest thing for you so often.” 

“What are you saying sir?” 

“Your mental health is the most important padawan, and while all masters will keep this in mind, back in active situations, I worry that you will become withdrawn again, and that is something I wish to protect you from, as you are too enjoyable of company to be hiding.” 

“Thank you Master, but I’m afraid this has confused me more than given me answers.” 

“I fear I have confused myself, and would like to clarify some things with the masters. I am sorry padawan, if I have given you more questions. But I trust you will make the correct decision in the end.” 

\-- 

“Can’t you just have...both?” Bant asked, and Obi-Wan sat mulling over his book that he had long since stopped reading. 

“There is no rule that a padawan can’t have two masters. Of course, who you go with on a mission will depend on their reasoning and the council, and Plo Koon would use his position in the council to try fandangling you into going with him more, but Shaak Ti would not let his influence win you too much.” 

“Plo Koon on the council could actually help your case. He’s a busy man, but the work between two Jedi…”’ Quinlan grinned, he loved to be given an argument and prove it right, and this was just another puzzle that he hadn’t figured out. 

“Has this ever been done?” 

“I mean, Master Fisto is practically my second Master.” Bant shrugged, “Master Dooku practically takes over for Master Jinn when he’s gone.” 

“And spoils Obi rotten.” 

“He does not!” Obi-Wan argued, and they all stared at him judgmentally. 

“Really? If I remember correctly, he brought you food all the way from the Outer Rim just because “it was his duty as grandmaster”.” 

“That means nothing Quinlan.” 

“And another time he-” 

Suddenly, Obi-Wan was shooting off the couch and threateningly raising his saber to Quinlan’s throat. “We promised to _never_ speak of that.” 

“My bad.” Quinlan grinned. “I must’ve forgotten.” 

\-- 

Getting ready for bed, Luminara was brushing her hair when a knock on the door brought her back to reality. She had _not_ been singing into hairbrush as a microphone. Quickly grabbing her head covering, she twisted her hair back up before heading towards the door. 

It was Master Koon and Master Ti. 

“Delightful singing, is that one of Bant’s pop songs?” Master Koon must be smiling, but Luminara can’t look at his face, very embarrassed. 

Gaining her composure back, she is able to inquire as to why they were visiting her so late. 

“We would like to offer a proposal.” 

“Would you walk with us? We were about to get a late night snack.” 

“Of course Masters.” 

Master Ti has managed to snatch a chocolate pudding, supposedly, the cafeteria had no more, but Shaak Ti apparently had “her secrets.” Beside her, Master Koon had a straw from his helmet to his bowl of the yogurt that Luminara thought tasted disgusting. She wasn’t even sure that was safe, considering the oxygen he must be consuming. Shaak Ti regarded him with concern before turning to Luminara. 

“So, Plo was speaking to me about your conflictions. And I realized how short sighted it had been for me to offer so late, when you may have already chosen another. So Luminara, I would like to assure you that I will not be offended if I am not your chosen one.” 

“We also talked of our busy schedules, the schedules of all the Jedi you have been offered. It may be better for you if you have two masters, with the hope that the council can send them on more dual missions with you, and at least one can be you during your studies at the temple at any given time.” 

Luminara internally rejoiced. How could the Force be so kind to her? She didn’t deserve this, yet here it was in front of her. Wringing her hands together, she knew that this was the moment, and it was her choice to seize it. And if she did, this time, these masters would not exploit her desires. 

“Masters, thank you for telling me this. It eases my mind to know that I do not have to choose.” 

Taking a deep breath, Luminara stood up and lowered her head to both before making eye contact again. 

“Masters, would you both, Master Koon and Master Ti, consider taking me as your padawan?” 

“I would be honored.” 

“I thought you’d never ask.” Plo Koon sighed, shoulders relaxing. “Padawan, _my padawan_ , you left me on the verge of a breakdown.” 

“I am sorry-” 

“No need for an apology, I just didn’t want to lose you to another Master.” 

“You will have to share Plo.” 

As her two masters bickered about sharing her, Luminara smiled as they left the cafeteria. She had not one master, but two, and they _wanted_ her.


	2. A Future Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaak Ti and Plo are the best masters Luminara could ever ask for, and they each have their own ways of bonding.
> 
> But Luminara can’t let them in until she lets her former master, and all the trauma, finally go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Plo Koon and Shaak Ti to be parents. I wanted them to love her. So here’s my fic where I tried to be fluffy and ended up being chaotic...

It was late that same night, nearly almost a new day, when her master called a council session together. She was still in awe that she could call him master. Most of the Jedi weren’t asleep, and while they looked a bit miffed at being called this late at night, they began to smile when they saw the three of them in the center of the room.

“Chosen masters you have?” Grandmaster Yoda is smiling, and Luminara can’t help but mirror his own expression. Right after her former master was expelled from the order, the grandmaster had checked on her several times, and had expressed his excitement to see her choose a new master. 

“I have.”

“The meeting is now in session. Master Koon, since you called this meeting together, please bring up your subject.”

“Padawan Unduli has an appeal to make to the council, in regards to her apprenticeship.”

Standing in front of the entire council, Luminara feels less alone than she did nearly three weeks ago. Because this time, she has her two future masters behind her, and the entire Jedi council supporting her. 

“After several discussions with Masters Koon and Ti, I have been informed that it might be in my interest to have two masters, as all my options of Jedi hold many responsibilities and can divide the work that is a padawan. So, today, tonight I mean, council, I ask that you approve my choice of being the padawan of Masters Koon and Ti.”

“Master Ti, do you commit to the job of taking Padawan Unduli under your tutelage, and teach her the ways of the Jedi in the hopes that one day, you will fight with each other as equals?”

“I do.” Shaak nodded, holding the shoulders of her padawan. 

“Master Koon, do you commit to the same principles as Master Ti, to raise this padawan to knighthood, with the intent of fighting together as equals?”

“I do masters.” 

“Any objections from the council?” Mace looks at the members. Luminara knows that an objection is rarely ever brought up, but it is standard procedure to ask the question anyways. 

“As none have spoken, we the council grant this triad the privilege of learning together as a group. We believe this bond will flourish under care and bring about the best of each of you.” 

Luminara didn’t wear a padawan braid as many padawans did, so she was unreasonably surprised when Plo Koon and Shaak Ti both held cords of fabric, the same colors as their robes. “With your permission padawan, we would like to braid parts of each of our robes, to signify our triadic bond, and for you to wear it as a bracelet.” 

Nimbly criss-crossing the chords, Luminara attempted not to cry as she realized what this meant. It meant so much more tutelage. It meant that they wanted her to see them as a part of her, and that they were now one, and would teach her to work together as three individuals to create something brand new and interconnected. 

Tying the ends together with a Mirialan cultural bead, Luminara wiped a rogue tear from her eye as Master Koon tied the braided cord on her spare wrist. 

“Don’t cry padawan,” Master Koon whispered gently, and Luminara only hiccupped in response. 

“I’ve never had a braid before.”

“I am glad we have amended that absence then.” 

“Congratulations Luminara, the council is excited to see the growths you will make with your masters.”

“Thank you masters.” Luminara nodded to the speculators in the room, and as they began to disperse, she approached Master Tiin. 

“Master Tiin, I just want to thank you for your consideration, and offering to take me as a padawan. I hope my choice is with your approval, and that you do not feel snubbed or slighted.”

“Padawan, you chose well, and I am not offended at all. I only hope that someday, I may witness all that we see in you.”

“Thank you master.”

\--

“I am afraid that I must leave, so I must put our triad bonding on hold.” Master Koon apologized as they left the council room. “However, I look forward to doing so when I come back, in what should be a week’s time. Goodbye Padawan, Shaak.” 

“Goodbye Master.”

Heading to the quarters of the temple, Shaak and Luminara split ways. “Get some sleep padawan, and perhaps, you could come to my quarters in the morning?”

“I will, thank you Master Ti.”

“Goodnight Luminara.”

\--

Walking into her room, Luminara was about to finally get some rest when she eyed her three friends on her sleeping mats. With them in her room, there’s no way she’s getting sleep soon. 

“You’re a padawan again!”

“Shhh, it's quiet hours!” Luminara hissed before grinning. “I am.”

“Your masters are very lucky.” Obi-Wan congratulates, and then snatches the blanket from Quinlan, the hog. 

“I can’t wait until we get to all spar together...Lumi, you’re going to be so much better at offensive.” Quinlan is grinning at the possibilities, and Luminara only shoves him closer to Obi-Wan as she takes the other side of the blanket. 

“Maybe even enough to beat you.”

“Who’s getting a large head?”

“Last time we measured Quinlan, yours was still bigger.”

“Shut up.”

“She’s not wrong.” Bant points out as she turns off the light, curling closer to Luminara. Apparently, tonight they are all going to be fighting over the blankets and the limited space on Luminara’s sleeping mat. 

Just as their breaths even out, Quinlan of course, breaks the silence. “We measured a year ago, Obi-Wan, do you think your head has grown?”

“Sleep Quinlan.”

“Oh of course, I wouldn't want Master Dooku to have to make you warm golden milk and sing lullabies to you.” Quinlan is almost _singing_ and Luminara feels the blanket ripped away from her. 

“Kriff you Quinlan. Kriff you.”

“Master Dooku sang lullabies? To you?” Bant is now thoroughly entertained and Obi-Wan exasperated. 

“It was _once_.”

“The fact that it happened even _once_ ,” Quinlan must be grinning, and Obi-Wan reaches to the nearest pillow and whacks his companion with it.

“What was the lullaby?”

“Come on, not you too Lumi,” Obi-Wan implores. 

“No,” Luminara reaches out, and nudges Obi-Wan on, “Come, do we know it? Sing it.”

Despite common belief, Obi-Wan was actually a pretty good singer, and maybe, in a different universe, he could’ve been a performer, but for now, Luminara would encourage him in the presence of friends. “Fine. Lumi, you owe me.”

“Actually, you owe me.” Luminara grinned, and Obi-Wan only groaned. 

“You’re still on about that?”

“Yep.”

Softly, Obi-Wan’s voice fills the small space, with Bant humming along, accompanied by Quinlan’s slightly deeper voice, and with her best friends by her side, and two new masters, Luminara falls asleep with a future ahead of her.

\--

After training, Luminara was about to leave when Master Shaak Ti asked her to stay. “Come to my room, I have some ingredients, I am going to make some cookies for the younglings. Would you like to help me?”

“I-I’ve never baked.”

“Well, then I must teach you! It will be useful on the field. Of course, cookies are not practical, but nutrition bars may be. But one must be able to cook in dire situations.”

“I know how to cook, I guess I thought they were different. But I’ve cooked many times for Mas-Krell.”

Shaak didn't seem to notice her slip up, and instead kept talking. “What did you make? I personally love the soup that Kit makes from his species. It has small little dumplings and leaves that float about.”

“I made some chilis, some casseroles, when noodles are in our rations.”

Opening her door, Shaak Ti motioned for Luminara to enter her quarters as she hurried to get out her cookie ingredients. Luminara took a moment and realized with a start, that this was the first time she had been directly invited by a master into their quarters. 

Shaak’s quarters were homey, despite her lack of numerous possessions. On the stovetop was a blue tea kettle, the shelves were decorated with memorabilia from other cultures, and pictures hung on the walls of Shaak, Mace, Plo, Adi, and Kit. 

Despite the comforting ambience, Luminara couldn’t help but feel there was an ulterior motive here. Why was she, out of hours, invited into her master’s room? Did Shaak want something from her? Perhaps for her to make the dinner?

“Can you grab the chocolate bits? They are in the left cabinet. Grab yourself a snack while you’re at it.” Shaak hummed, opening her slightly charred cookbook. There must be a story behind that. 

Grabbing the bag of morsels, Luminara handed her master the bag before she glanced back up at the cabinet. Nutrition bars, nut mixes, and crackers of all worlds were stocked, and it seemed wrong to take any of them, especially if she was going to make a meal anyway. No need to spoil her dinner.

“Would you like me to start dinner?”

“Dinner? This early? Are you that hungry?” 

“No, but I shouldn’t spoil my dinner with snacks.”

“Oh boohoo. Those are the types of rules I don’t follow. I’m sure a growing girl like you is capable of eating a snack and her entire dinner.”

Luminara made no move towards the snacks, and Shaak stopped moving around to glance at her quizzically. “Luminara, are you allergic to these snacks?”

“What? No master. I just...I have not created a habit of snacking. Master Krell-not master anymore, right, he didn’t believe in snacks unless I had done something very well. I don’t think I have done something extraordinary to deserve a snack.”

Shaak Ti’s voice is quiet and firm when she finally speaks. “Luminara, snacks are not something you have to _earn_. Like anything, they are food. When you are hungry and it is not mealtime, they are meant to sustain you. Of course they are meant to be eaten in moderation, but you are not an animal, this is not a reward for your actions.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am positive. After all, I got those snacks for you specifically today. It would be a shame for them to be wasted.”

“Of course then.” 

Luminara munched on the dried berries and nuts as she and Shaak Ti rolled dough into what would soon bake into cookies. She didn’t remember another time where she had quite so many laughs and conversations with a master. Quickly, she found herself liking this version of apprenticeship much more. 

—

Being shaken awake, Luminara looks up to see the slightly wild eyes of Master Ti. How different this was to only a month ago, she thought, before Shaak began to talk. 

“Get dressed padawan, warmly. We are going speeder racing.”

Already Luminara was up and slipping in her robes. “Master? What do you mean?”

“Tholme challenged Jinn that he and Quinlan would beat Obi-Wan and Jinn in a speeder race. Master Uvain has entered with Bant, and it is principal that I must enter with you. How are you with a speeder?”

“Capable, I suppose.”

“That will be more than enough.”

Peeking her head out the door, Shaak makes barely a sound as she runs for the hangar, her padawan right behind her, just as silent. 

“Are we supposed to be doing this?”

“It is much better than what us masters did as children.” The question is still not answered, but Luminara doubts that the Jedi will even know, if the masters have it their way. Sometimes she forgets that the masters were once children like them, just as devious, perhaps more so according to Shaak. 

“I’ll take the starboard, you take port.” 

Hopping into the speeder, Luminara takes the controls in her hands. She’s done this before with her padawans and gotten third, Bant in second, and Obi-Wan in first, of course. Somewhere along the streets Quinlan had crashed. He was not yet a knight, but his astounding number of ships he had blown up matched no other padawan. 

“Got it.” Luminara sat in place and waited for the droid to wave the flag. Sparing a glance over, she was shocked to see Depa Billaba and Master Windu next to them. 

“Depa!” Luminara yelled, and the girl looked over with a grin on her face. 

“I talked him into it, can you believe it?” She’s grinning, and Luminara wants to ask how, but the droid has swung the flag and the speeders take off. 

Soon, the radars indicated that Luminara and Shaak were in second, she wasn’t sure how that happened, when suddenly, a weight on the back of the speeder drew them away from the race. 

Risking a glance back, Bant was standing on their speeder challenging a fight. Her lightsaber is ignited and her hands are daring Luminara to join. 

“You’re playing dirty!” 

“Dirty is how you win!” 

“I’ve got this.” Luminara passed all controls back to her master and ignited her saber. Standing on the back, she and Bant had their very first duel on the back of a ship. Other than the wind whipping their faces and the precarious balancing act they had to adhere to, their duel played out similar to those back in the training room. 

Then somehow, Bant was getting the upper hand, and had managed to flatten Luminara on her own speeder. But this chance gave Luminara a look below her, to where Master Uvian was, only maybe a few hundred feet below. Using the force, she pushed her friend off the edge, knowing that Master Uvain would see and catch her. 

“Sorry!” Luminara yelled, peering over the edge, and then rushed back to her seat. Beside her, Shaak was grinning. 

“She was playing dirty.” Luminara justified, and Shaak only shook her head. 

“I threw Kit Fisto into oncoming traffic when we did this as kids.” 

“Master!” 

“I’m proud to know my padawan has more morals than I do. Also to justify myself, Plo was playing bumper ships with Qui-Gon, and Mace tried to take out their engines with his saber, what I did was not _that_ bad.” 

Luminara felt a deep respect for the masters of these now-grown padawans. She did not want to know how much effort it had taken for Master Dooku, Myr, and the others to raise respectful Jedi, some even now in the chairs of the council. Before tonight, she might’ve not believed it, but now, seeing the chaos that these masters were starting left no room for pretenses. 

This chaos had begun to escalate on the last leg of the race, when padawans and masters alike turned the race dirty. Quinlan was spinning his speeder in wild barrel rolls while his master was fighting Depa on the back, Bant and her Master had taken some kind of short cut, accidentally taking out a traffic droid, and somehow, Obi-Wan and Jinn were still in the lead, with only one fight, where Quinlan had challenged Obi-Wan and subsequently lost, leaving the pair in their current standing.

“All power to thrusters now!” Shaak yelled, as she flicked the switches. 

They ended up finishing third, but they had beat Quinlan and Bant, so that was all that mattered to Luminara really. Obi-Wan of course, had finished first. His incredible piloting skills were second to no padawan, and Master Qui-Gon was no idiot in a ship either. Depa had skillfully outmaneuvered them, and Luminara could actually applaud her for that. 

“One more thing padawan,” Shaak Ti whispered as they made their way back to their quarters, “These events aren’t spoken of.”

“Yes, of course.”

“I had fun tonight.” Shaak winked and Luminara smiled. 

Having a master could be a lot of fun, and sometimes, the right master was all it took. Resting her head on her pillow, Luminara fell asleep with the whipping of wind on her face, wondering what shenanigans _two_ masters would bring, what it would bring out of her. Maybe the saying, “Like master, like padawan,” actually held some truth. She couldn’t wait to find out.

—

“I do believe we win the award for most focused padawan.” Master Koon drawls, and Luminara’s head snaps up to a voice she hasn’t heard for a week. She must look like a sight, drowning in unfolded Jedi robes. 

“Master! You’re back?” Out of a peep hole, she grins. 

“There it is. That was worth waiting for.” Plo laughs, and Luminara smiles bigger if that is possible. “You are a hard girl to pin down. Now come along, I need you to convince Shaak to let us go to that rib restaurant, she wants to get pizza.”

Laughing, Luminara lets Plo pull her away from the laundry and swing an arm over her shoulder as they proceed down the hallway. 

“Can you even eat Master?”

“Ahh, yes, I have this little vacuum hole in my mask,” Plo Koon sticks his finger into a hidden port that Luminara didn’t know existed. “As long as the food is small, the vacuum brings the food to my mouth while vents back here,” Plo Koon kneels and shows Luminara another hidden part of his helmet, “That pushes air back out. It all happens in a matter of milliseconds.” 

“That must be a pain.”

“Meat is worth it.”

“There you are. Where was she hiding Plo?”

“The laundry of all places.” Plo sounds amused, and he turns to look at her with a playful eye. Or well, she can sense that he is being playful. He is unreadable with the mask, but his force shines bright, and she has since a youngling, learned to interpret the different emotions that he cannot show physically. “Tell me padawan, what did you do to get sent on laundry duty?”

“Oh, nothing.” Luminara assured as the three made their way to the hangar, risking a knowing glance at Shaak, as they both thought about their racing night. “I have finished my studies, Bant is gone with her master, and Quinlan is with Obi-Wan playing darts. Last time I played darts with Quinlan, he tried to get me to hold a fruit in my mouth, and I was not going to get roped into that. I had nothing else to do, so I decided to help the ladies in laundry.”

“You were bored...so you decided to fold Jedi robes?” Shaak Ti looks mildly concerned, but more shocked than anything, and Luminara only nods. 

“It is not bad. It’s far better than dish duty.”

“I have to agree on that.”

“Master Plo, were you sent on laundry duty when you were younger?”

“Goodness, I spent lots of time in ‘corrective discipline.’”

Now knowing what the masters did in their spare time, how recklessly chaotic they could be, and their insane competitive streaks, it was not hard for Luminara to imagine her masters getting sent to chore duty.

“Sometimes I wonder if it worked.” Shaak stage whispered, and Plo Koon snapped his head to her. 

“Take that back!”

“Jedi must always be honest.” 

\--

Walking down the streets of Coruscant, Master Koon and Luminara let Shaak Ti lead them to their alternative dinner spot, a local diner that had meat sandwiches for Plo and pizza for Shaak and their padawan. 

“Where are we masters? I don’t believe I’ve been down this far.”

“Never? Oh, well this is the start of the underground systems of Coruscant, don’t wander too far, people get excited easily here, and pickpockets are notorious.”

“This is the fruit market alley,” Master Koon pointed out the abandoned shacks, only filled every other day with exotic foods from all over the galaxy. “I took you and the group here three months ago, if you remember. It looks different at night.”

“Oh! Yes, I have been here, not at night though. Quinlan’s favorite restaurant is down this way. We went there for his birthday.” Luminara scrunched her nose at the memory. “I’m pretty sure he ate living worms, because Bant dared him to.” 

“Yes, and that is Adi’s favorite place, run by a fellow Tholonian, with authentic food. It’s disgusting, be happy she is not your master, or you would suffer, the leaf appetizer is drier than the deserts of Tatooine.” 

“Master Koon, stop corrupting our padawan.” Shaak Ti scolded as she held the door open. Walking in, Luminara was transported into a retro ambience, where the lights were neon and the servers wore clothing that Luminara had never seen before. All at once, she was more than thankful for the simple Jedi robes. 

Finding an empty table amongst the milling assortment of life forms, Luminara found herself much preferring the open and usually not overly occupied cafeteria of the temple. Her desire for that simple place only grew as she was handed a menu. 

If she bought what she had credits for, she could get approximately a burger and a cup of juice from the youngling menu. Those prospects were not very appealing. 

Beside her, Shaak and Plo apparently have already decided and are whispering conspirituality. 

“What are you getting Luminara?”

“Well, I suppose this burger and juice.”

“You must need to eat more than _that_ ”

“I mean, this I can afford-”

Shaak cuts her off before she can finish. “We took you out Luminara, we can pay for your dinner.” 

“Oh.” Well, that assured Luminara that she could eat more, but she didn’t want to be overly zealous and get something too expensive. But even looking at all the choices was overwhelming. ‘I have no idea then, I’ve never ordered for myself, usually I share with Bant or someone else’s order.”

“Have you ever been to a restaurant without your friends?”

“No. Kr-He believed it was a waste of money when the cafeteria was free.”

“Ah then, this is still good. I shall introduce you to the wonders of wings. You will love them.” 

Shaak Ti gives Plo a judgemental eye, but the serving droid comes before she can speak. 

“I will have a slice of whatever pizza is spinning on that-” Shaak Ti points to the counter and then continues, “My friend here with questionable taste will have the meat sandwich special, and she will have a bowl of wings. Side sauce please.”

“Of course.” The droid whizzes off and Luminara is about to start a conversation when she realizes her masters aren’t even paying attention. 

“What are you looking at?”

“To your left,” Plo Koon lowers his voice, and Luminara is about to look, but stops at her master’s hand. “Don’t look now! Both of you are so bad at undercover! If he does anything, act like our mission is to apprehend him.”

“It’s not our mission though.”

“The council’s been watching him for months. Act cool.”

“You can't just tell me that and expect me to be able to act cool, master.”

“You will need to. We didn’t expect our first mission to be so soon, before we even had time to establish a bond, but duty stops for no one.”

Plo Koon filled them in with details as they waited for their food to arrive, informing them that the bounty hunter targeted high government officials and was all but a scent in the wind. To be here, in plain sight, must be because he was waiting for someone. 

When the food came, she was distracted from the topic of the criminal by the excitement of Plo getting her to eat one of the wings, and watching her master divide his sandwich into small pieces, and then somehow, managing to eat it without dying. 

“Use your hands, dip it in the sauce and then chew it.”

The wings, despite being messy, were surprisingly good, and Luminara found a small sense of joy in licking the sauce off her fingers. 

“I told you she would like them.” 

“He’s about to leave.” Shaak responds instead, and Luminara flashes a backward glance. They’re going to have to think quickly if they want to tail him. Even quicker if they want to capture him, or be any amount of inconspicuous. 

“I have a horrible idea.” Plo Koon turns to Shaak and mumbles his plan, in his own language, Kel Dorian, that Shaak must know, but Luminara doesn’t, as she had just begun studying it since last month and can only really understand food and direct questions. Clearly, he’s speaking his native language to prevent eavesdroppers from being able to understand what’s going on.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Shaak only sighs before she turns to Luminara. “This is potentially dangerous, and without your bond, it could be even more so. Are you willing?”

“Of course Masters.” 

Leaving her lightsaber with them, she knows this mission depends on her. Going up to the Twi’lek mercenary, she covers the majority of her face with her robes, forcefully sets the information disk on the table, and speaks in what is hopefully an ominous voice. 

“Jedi Master Koon, bring his head to the rendezvous and you’ll be paid.”

“Who are you?” 

“That doesn’t matter.”

“You’re not familiar, who are you affiliated with?” 

“Messengers get shot for disclosing that. My employer pays big.” Throwing a few credits of her own credits on the table, she makes sure her point gets across, and that her appeal to their greed works to her advantage. 

The Twi’lek glances at his companion and wiggles his fingers. “Come this way.” 

Not risking a look back, Luminara leaves, hoping she’s making a good decision. 

—

“A Jedi? Huh, don’t get too many of those. Hard to kill.” 

“Everything you need is on the disc.” 

“Oh I’m not going to attempt to kill a Jedi. I’m not stupid. A guy I know is.” 

“Oh?”

Luminara realized that this might backfire. She didn’t need to meet a cocky assassin who thought they could kill Master Koon. All she needed was for Twi’lek to stay with her. 

“I’m not sure my employer has eyes on someone different.” 

“He’s stupid to think I’d go after a Jedi. You want this guy or not?” 

If this man was everything this mercenary said he was, it would be better for Luminara to assess him and possibly, bring the Jedi to him and the Twi’lek. Nodding, she made up her mind. 

“Take me to him.”

—

She’s even deeper in the alleyways of Coruscant, and they’ve made more zigzags than Luminara thinks are necessary, enough that Luminara knows she will not be able to find her way back. 

“Here we are.”

Taking a step into a nearly hidden passage, Luminara automatically feels the hairs on her back stand up and wonders why she feels the force stronger here. It is not something she can worry about now. She has a mission. 

“Well, that marks the end, good luck.” The Twi’lek flicked the disk back to her and Luminaria is desperate, so she tries something she is not sure she is skilled at. 

Waving her hand, she addressed the alien,“You will tell me where you’re going.” 

“I will tell you where I’m going. Mas Amedda’s office to tell him about a bounty on a Jedi.” 

The young man’s relaxed nature revealed even more than Luminara had expected. But the information shocked her, and she struggled to keep her face neutral. How was Mas Amedda involved in a bounty hunter’s plot? Why would he care about a bounty on Master Koon?

—

“My employer wants the head of a Jedi. He’s willing to pay big for it.” Luminara doesn’t know who she’s talking to, but nobody’s here, and she can feel them, so she hopes this will draw out of hiding. 

“Padawan Unduli, so we meet again.” 

Luminara froze, her hand still on the infodisk. Suddenly, she wished that she had not agreed to this, and wanted to be anywhere else. Wished that she had hid her saber in her robes. 

But she had no other option, and it was her duty as a Jedi to stand her ground for the safety of all the people, especially her family. Removing the hood of her robe, she stares up at her so-called assassin. 

“Master Krell. I see you didn’t go far.”

“Why go so far when everything I need is here?” 

He’s stepping out into the light and she’s suddenly hyper-aware of how large he is in comparison to her, especially with no weapon to defend herself. Somehow, he has already acquired body armor and what seems to be a similar type sword to a lightsaber. 

“So who’s the bait?” Krell grabs the disk from her hand, and laughs when Koon’s face pops on screen. 

“You, young one, do not fool me.” Luminara only stares at him with determination. He will not get the better of her. He cannot call her endearments like Master Koon and have them have power over them anymore. 

“They sent you, a padawan, without a method of offense, to take on a world of thugs. You should’ve stayed back Luminara, I don’t want to hurt you.” 

“Funny, you didn’t have such high morals as a Jedi.” 

She knows it’s not wise to poke the beast, but she can’t stop it slipping out. Except this time, Pong Krell only laughs and crushes the infodisk with his fist. 

“You padawan, are getting bolder, who is your master now?” 

“I’m masterless. You destroyed any idea of a master for me. Why do you think I’m here? Suicide missions are best for lost padawans.” It’s a bluff, but as she says it, she believes it more than she cares to admit. To the force, without a master’s bond, she is all that she said, a lost padawan. 

“The order wouldn’t let you do this.”

“Really? Why am I here then?” 

“To trap me.”

“You aren’t my mission. I didn’t even know you were still on-world.” 

“Ahh, and for that knowledge I will have to kill you.”

“And I will die with honor.”

His hand instinctively reaches for his sword, and Luminara eyes the dagger on his person, hanging off his belt. She needs that to at least stand a chance. 

She knows he will deliver a blow to her right, she knows because he’s as powerful as he is predictable. Springing into a jump, Luminara hopes that she can use his lack of blades to her advantage. As soon as she sees it, she yanks with the force and wraps her hand around the rough handle. 

“Very good padawan.”

“I’m not your padawan anymore.” Luminara snarls, and wants to go in for an attack, but she knows that it will only end up as every sparring session, with him overpowering her, especially because right now, he has the weapon and she has only a gloried knife. 

His swings are powerful, but they are less swift and smooth than before because no longer does he have the graceful sabers of the Jedi but an old weapon of lore, heavier than necessary and less than customizable. 

Their dance is similar, and the defining moment is coming. Luminara wonders if her training is enough, but she doesn’t have time to question herself. The safety of the Jedi, of her masters, and her friends, all rely on her abilities. 

It terrifies her. 

Then the moment comes. In only two movements, Luminara can use his own weapon against him, and subdue him until help arrives. 

“Do it. Honor your new master, lead them on until they realize everything you’re not.” Krell taunts, as she begins to execute her plan, and just like that, Luminara loses her footing, loses all the ground she’s covered in the past month. 

“Ah, padawan, always too weak to finish the mission. I am sorry.” With that, Krell raises his blade with the intent of stabbing her frozen figure. 

Before she can think, she throws out her arm and suspends his hands midair. 

“I will not allow you to influence me anymore.” 

“But you already have.” Krell shakes his head condescendingly as she loses her force grip on him. Reaching a hand towards her, he flicks the dagger to the side. “You haven’t let your master in, you are living a facade to both yourself and the order. You are truly a lost padawan.”

The darkness she’s always felt around him flutters. In her, it’s a caged bird on the verge of freedom. She wants to kill him for saying that, she wants to prove him wrong, show him she can be better than her worst adversary, but she knows it’s all false. 

She is lost, and she is weak. Too weak for the dark side, and too weak for the Jedi. Past fighting, she allows herself to be picked up by the neck, and wants for the snap. Waits for the darkness, waits to feel the all encompassing feeling of Pong Krell’s dark side as she fades away. 

“Release her!” Krell’s eyes are no longer looking at her with pity, but focused on the voice of Jedi Shaak Ti, and Luminara almost pities him as the saber of Plo Koon flashes next to the Togruta. 

How could she have doubted them? How could she doubt that her masters, who had integrated her into their lives, who had shown her both kindness and love, how could she have doubted them? How could she have entertained the idea of leaving the only family she’s ever known, her friends? Her masters had given her a braid of three, an unspoken promise of protection, of unity. Her struggle was never about being a lost padawan, it was about her holding onto three masters rather than only two. 

He jerks her, and like before, she’s thrown carelessly into the nearest wall. Opening her eyes, she sees five blades illuminating the dark room. They’ve finally come. 

“Padawan.” The voice of her grandmaster pulls her away from the darkness of her eyelids, and she is met with concerned eyes. 

“Grandmaster.” 

“Come, get you out, we must.” 

Luminara couldn’t agree more. Finally safe, she lets the voices in the background and the gentle eyes of her grandmaster lull her into a dreamless sleep.

—

She wakes up in an unfamiliar room. Sitting up, she turns her head to see Master Plo on her left and Master Shaak on her right. They must be in Shaak’s room, because the decor looks the same as her small cubical kitchen. 

Their warmth radiates as Luminara stands up. These two masters, her two masters, trying their best to be masters to a padawan who won’t let them in. 

Lumina will amend that. “I’m sorry Masters, I’m going to bond with you, I promise. There’s one last thing I have to do.” 

Koon mumbles a bit, but he doesn’t look like he’s actually awake, and Shaak is curled comfortably in her blanket. They look peaceful, and Luminara is glad that the day’s stress has worn off. 

Grabbing her saber, she heads towards the training room, flicking on only a single light, the one that hung precariously since Quinlan had managed to hit it sparring with Master Tholme two years ago. She felt like that single fixture, not still attached, but gravity should be pulling her down, it should set her free, and the fact that it wasn’t was like waiting for the final nail to be hammered. 

Awakening her kyber crystal, Luminara felt mocked by the green luminescence. Stepping forward, she thrust her blade into the open air, hearing the hum hang in the air as it twirled. Stepping back, the blade followed, protecting her front, and then was jabbed out again. Back and forward, Luminara let the force surround her as she began to twirl the hilt more menacingly, and soon, she was fighting a battle against the stagnant air of a dim training room. 

With no opponent, Luminara let herself apply everything she had ever learned into her solo, into a dance with only the kyber crystal as a witness. Tonight there was no holding back, there was no master she could be punished by, no limitations based on fear. Tonight, it was her and the force, and her demons in front of her. 

_“It’s just you and I padawan. Show me how a Jedi is made.”_ The voice of Master Krell fills her ears and she opens her eyes to see him in front of her. Realistically, she knows he is in prison, but she’s called him back to her sight so she can finally be free. 

“A Jedi is made by-” Luminara swung her lightsaber in not a defensive movement like Master Krell had taught her, but a djem so movement that Master Koon had taught her. 

“The teachings of a master.” Swinging her to her side again, she blocked his saber’s blade before it could breeze past her face, like Master Ti taught her. 

“The support of her fellow Jedi.” Channeling all the force she had ever known, she pushed him back several feet, and twirled the hilt of her saber menacingly in front of her like the Jedi Masters in the holocrons. 

“The discipline of morals.” Running towards him, in a single turn, she could slice his hand, she could cause him to drop two of his blades, and in turn, steer the battle in her direction. However, instead, she leveled her blade to his chin, looking up with steely eyes. 

“And the letting go of attachments.” 

Jumping with only the force guiding her, Luminara spun in the air, and flung her saber at the pole. As she touched ground, her lightsaber behind her, so did the precarious light fixture, shattering. This was her, letting go of her attachments, letting herself move forward. 

“Spoken like a true Jedi.” Shaak Ti affirms, and Luminara whirls around, unaware that anyone else was present. Looking back at her are her two masters, smiling.

“You’ve been held back, young one, let yourself go.” Plo Koon approaches, with his saber held out. “Show us what you’ve _become_.” 

Two blue sabers flashed in the dark, and Luminara reignited her own. Closing her eyes, she lets herself feel their force signatures, lets them wrap around her as they surround her in the dark. Letting go of all she once was, she became something new as the bond crackled, like the sabers in the dark. 

“Padawan, _this_ is who you are.” Shaak Ti isn’t speaking out loud, but Luminara can hear her nonetheless. 

This is who Luminara is. A Jedi in training, a protector of all that is good. Together, with her family by her side, they will discover the plot of Mas Amedda and protect her family. Now like her braid, she is a single fixture in a unity of three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Outline: Fluff, Lumi and her masters dealing with trauma, hugs
> 
> My outcome: Fluff mixed with angst, happy dinner and then big bad chicken is back and Luminara discovers Palpatine’s plot years too early, and in turns helps save the Republic and finally get closure. 
> 
> I have no explanation. 
> 
> [Crazyinfj’s Tumblr! (aka the writer)](http://crazyinfj.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Eylle9’s Tumblr! (aka the beta)](https://tumblr.com/blog/eylle9)

**Author's Note:**

> Canon? I don’t know her. Timeline? She’s a stranger. Ages? Those are invalid in SW.
> 
> Seriously guys, the timeline for this is probably so bad. Also, don’t even talk to me about tenses, I gave up about five paragraphs in. 
> 
> Also, I have a second chapter in the making that includes a •tad• bit more fluff, speeders, food, and trauma...any more scenes you want?
> 
> [Crazyinfj’s Tumblr! (aka the writer)](http://crazyinfj.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Eylle9’s Tumblr! (aka the beta)](https://tumblr.com/blog/eylle9)


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